Wall unit support system

ABSTRACT

The wall unit support system, configured for supporting cabinets and shelving flush against a wall, includes an elongated mounting rail and at least one inverted, J-shaped bracket engagable to the mounting rail. The rail has a planar back portion adapted for mounting to the wall and an elongated flange extending upwardly and outwardly parallel to the planar back portion. The rail may include a second flange extending downwardly and outwardly parallel to the planar back portion. The J-shaped bracket has a planar-face adapted for attachment to a back surface to a cabinet and a hooked portion. The hooked portion includes a descending leg and a U-shaped bight. The hooked portion slidably engages the flange of the mounting rail with the descending leg coplanar with the back portion of the mounting rail.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to cabinet and shelving supports, andparticularly to a wall unit support system for supporting wall unitsflush against a wall.

2. Description of the Related Art

Cabinets and shelves are widely installed by taking prefabricated unitsand mounting them directly onto a wall. These wall units are often ofconsiderable weight and therefore require support devices of sufficientstrength to adequately support the units. A number of cabinet andshelving supports exist in the art that provide such support. Some ofthese support systems only consist of a mounting rail to which a cabinetis mounted directly. For some of the systems, an additional piece isattached to the cabinet and then mounted on the rail. While the supportsystems function effectively in holding the cabinets and shelvingagainst the wall, problems do arise with these systems.

One problem that often occurs with some systems is that the back of thecabinet is not held flush against the wall. The cabinet or shelf doesnot have the same clean look as a cabinet mounted flush to the wall.Other systems may keep the cabinet held flush against the wall, but donot allow for multiple cabinets to be mounted against each other becausethe support systems include pieces that must attach to the sides of thecabinets.

Accordingly, there is a need for a support system of sufficient strengthto support wall units and that also holds cabinets and shelving flushboth against the wall and against additional cabinets. Thus, the wallunit support system of the present invention solving the foregoingproblems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The wall unit support system, configured particularly for supportingcabinets, shelving, etc. against a wall, includes an elongated mountingrail and at least one inverted, J-shaped bracket engagable to themounting rail. The J-shaped bracket is attached to the cabinet or wallunit and then slides onto a flange extending from the mounting rail,supporting the cabinet flush against the wall.

The elongated mounting rail has a planar back portion and an elongatedflange that extends outwardly and upwardly parallel to the planar backportion. The elongated mounting rail may additionally include a secondelongated flange that extends outwardly and downwardly parallel to theplanar back portion. The planar back portion of the mounting rail isplaced flush against the wall in a horizontally leveled position.Fasteners are used to attach the mounting rail to the wall.

The J-shaped bracket has a hooked portion adapted for engaging theflange of the mounting rail and a planar face adapted for attachment toa back surface of a cabinet. The bracket is attached to the cabinet,which contains recesses of sufficient dimension to enclose the mountingrail and the bracket when the cabinet is hung. The bracket with theattached cabinet is lifted and hung on the mounting rail so that thehooked portion of the bracket is placed in engaging relationship withthe elongated flange of the mounting rail.

The mounting rail and bracket may be made from aluminum, plastic or anyother material suitable for hanging cabinets and the like. The planarback portion of the mounting rail may have a notched strip, which allowsa fastener to be drilled more easily into the wall.

These and other features of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon further review of the following specification anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental side view of a wall unit support systemaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded side view of the wall unit support systemaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bracket and the mounting rail of thewall unit support system according to the first embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded side view of the wall unit support systemaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is a wall unit support system, configuredparticularly for supporting cabinets, shelving, etc. flush against awall. The wall unit support system, designated generally as 10 in thedrawings, is removably attached to a wall.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the wall unit support system 10 generallycomprises an elongated mounting rail 12 and at least one inverted,J-shaped bracket 14 engagable to the mounting rail 12. The mounting rail12 is attached to a wall W or other vertical support structure. TheJ-shaped bracket 14 is attached to a cabinet C by at least one fastener40, such as a screw or nail. The J-shaped bracket 14, with the cabinetC, engages the mounting rail 12, supporting the cabinet C flush againstthe wall W.

The elongated mounting rail 12 has a planar back portion 16 and anelongated flange 18. The planar back portion 16 is adapted for mountingto the wall W. The elongated flange 18 extends outwardly and upwardlyparallel to the planar back portion 16. The flange 18 is offset from theplanar back portion 16 by a short cross member 20 and terminates in arounded end 22. The cross member 20 extends outward from the top of theplanar back portion 16. The planar back portion 16 of the mounting rail12 is placed flush against the wall W in a horizontally leveledposition. At least one fastener 42, such as a screw or nail, is insertedthrough the back portion 16 of the rail 12 and into a wall stud or otherwall frame member, thus affixing the mounting rail 12 to the wall W.

The inverted, J-shaped bracket 14 has a planar face 24 and a hookedportion 26. The planar face 24 is adapted for attachment to a backsurface of a cabinet C. The planar face 24 of the J-shaped bracket 14has at least one fastener aperture 44 defined therein. The hookedportion 26 includes a descending leg 28 and a U-shaped bight 30 joiningthe leg 28 to the planar face 24. The leg 28 is parallel to the planarface 24. The hooked portion 26 of the J-shaped bracket 14 is adapted forengaging the flange 18 of the mounting rail 12. The J-shaped bracket 14provides strong support in holding the cabinet C against the wall W dueto the fact that it hooks into the elongated flange 18 of the mountingrail 12. The tight fit between the bracket 14 and the rail 12 suppliesthe needed level of support for the heavy cabinet C.

The fastener 40 is inserted within the aperture 44 in the J-shapedbracket 14 and screwed into the cabinet C. The cabinet C containsrecesses 50 in the back surface of the cabinet C that are of sufficientdimension to enclose the mounting rail 12 and the J-shaped bracket 14when the cabinet C is hung. The J-shaped bracket 14 with the attachedcabinet C is lifted and hung on the elongated mounting rail 12. TheJ-shaped bracket 14 is raised above the mounting rail 12 and thenlowered onto the mounting rail 12 such that the hooked portion 26 of theJ-shaped bracket 14 is placed in engaging relationship with theelongated flange 18 of the mounting rail 12. In this position, the leg28 of the J-shaped bracket 14 is coplanar with the back portion 16 ofthe mounting rail 12. As the mounting rail 12 and the bracket 14 fitwithin the recess 50 of the cabinet C, the cabinet C is held flushagainst the wall W. Additionally, because the bracket 14 fits into theback of the cabinet C instead of affixing to the side of the cabinet C,multiple cabinets may be supported on the wall W flush against eachother.

The elongated mounting rail 12 and the J-shaped bracket 14 may be madefrom aluminum, plastic or any other material suitable for hangingcabinets and the like. The wall unit support system 10 is capable ofholding up to eight hundred pounds of weight.

The planar back portion 16 of the mounting rail 12 may have a notchedstrip or groove 60 having a thickness less than that of the rest of therail 12. The notched strip 60 runs the length of the rail 12, and thethinning of the rail 12 makes it easier to drill a fastener hole throughthe rail 12 at any desired location along the rail. The groove 60 may beV-shaped, rectangular-shaped, or any other desired shape.

FIG. 4 is an exploded side view of the wall unit support system with asecond embodiment of the elongated mounting rail 12 a. In addition tothe planar back portion 16 and the first, or upper, elongated flange 18,the mounting rail 12 a includes a second, or lower, elongated flange 52.The second elongated flange 52 extends outwardly and downwardly parallelto the planar back portion 16. The second flange 52 is offset from theplanar back portion 16 by a second cross member 54 and terminates in asecond rounded end 56. The second cross member 54 extends outward fromthe bottom of the planar back portion 16. When the hooked portion 26 ofthe J-shaped bracket 14 engages the first flange 18, the bottom of theplanar face 24 of the J-shaped bracket 14 abuts the second flange 52 ofthe mounting rail 12 a, providing a greater level of support when thecabinet C is hung onto the wall W. The second flange 52 is preferablycoplanar with the first flange 18, rendering the rail 12 a symmetrical,so that the installer need not worry about which flange 18 or 52 isoriented upward or downward, since they are interchangeable.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to theembodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims.

1. A wall unit support system, comprising: an elongated mounting railhaving a planar back portion adapted for mounting to a vertical supportstructure and a first elongated flange extending upward and outwardparallel to the planar back portion; and at least one inverted, J-shapedbracket having a planar face adapted for attachment to a back surface ofa cabinet and a hooked portion including a descending leg and a U-shapedbight joining the descending leg to the planar face, the hooked portionslidably engaging the flange of the mounting rail with the descendingleg coplanar with the back portion of the mounting rail.
 2. The wallunit support system according to claim 1, wherein the elongated mountingrail has a second elongated flange extending downward and outwardparallel to the planar back portion.
 3. The wall unit support systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the planar face of said bracket has atleast one fastener aperture defined therein.
 4. The wall unit supportsystem according to claim 1, wherein the elongated mounting rail is madefrom aluminum.
 5. The wall unit support system according to claim 1,wherein the planar back portion of the elongated mounting rail has anelongated groove defined therein extending parallel to the first flange.